Several residents used the public-comment period at the Bassett Unified School District meeting on Dec. 16 to urge the board to preserve Florence Flanner as public land and to criticize the board’s handling of public comment.

Wyndham Wilson described the land as community property for children and elderly residents and appealed to the board’s conscience. A resident who identified herself as Yolanda, who lives on Millbury Street, said the board’s prior approval of the Florence Flanner "Planner Builds" project failed to consider neighborhood impacts and that limiting how residents can speak does not demonstrate genuine listening.

Samuel Brown (identified in public comment) directly invoked the Ralph M. Brown Act, said the board had suppressed his ability to speak at prior meetings, and called Florence Flanner "not excess land" but a child-development site and community anchor. Brown urged the community to seek accountability and warned the board that Brown Act violations can expose the district to enforcement actions and attorneys' fees.

Other commenters, including Manuel Maldonado and Don C. Moss, repeated concerns about free-speech protections and urged the board to follow public procedures and to rely on verifiable district matters. The board discussed the technical rules for submitting public comment cards and several members said they would work to improve accessibility for speakers who arrive late.

No formal board action to sell or reclassify Florence Flanner was taken at the Dec. 16 meeting; public comment was heard and later the board returned to closed session on litigation matters. The board clerk later reported a closed-session motion directing district leaders to work with counsel to respond to Samuel Brown's Dec. 9 cure-and-correct letter.